The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-03-13
WILLIAMS ASKED TO RESIGN
COMING MUSIC CHANGES IN TWO OF
THE CITY CHURCHES.

THE CITY CHURCHES.
The. Leader of the Choir at the Tabrr-
nacIe t. Leave on May IA Chasge
Probable also in the Park Reformed
Church-yyhy the Changes Have Been
Demanded by the Congreg ations.
Prof. Williams, who is Master of Music
aGd Choir Leader at the Tabernacle, has
been asked by the church to resign; and
his connection with the church will be sew
cred on May 1. Six weeks or two months
ago the SUNDAY MORNING NEWS harmed
that there was good deal of dissatisfac-
ton on the quiet with Prof. Williams's
methods. and made public such facts as
were then accessible. In brief, the under
current of talk represented him to have
crowded out of the choir many valuable
voices that ne feared in it, because they
belonged to people that did not cotton to
him regularly; to have made up little
clique of singers of his own; TO have been
overbearing and domineering, and to have
made imself especially obnoxioas to some
fri ends of good music in the congregation
by his methods and by his favoritism. The
publication of the article brought the
smothered and suppressed feeling of dis :
content that had got abroad among the
Tabernacle people to the surface, and led
| to more free and outspoken expressions as
TO the unwisdom of longer retaining Pro-.
Williams in their service. Prof Williams
] had been on close terms with Mr.. William
FL. Turner and the Music Committee of the
church, and they warmly champ.oned his
| cause against the disaffected But they
| founa ultimately, in the free and open dis
cussions of the matter, which the pubica-
| ton of the article in the SUNDAY MORNING
| NEWS had provoked, that the welfare of
! the church demanded his removal: and
a few days ago, Mr.. Turner ON behalf Of
the Church authorities is reported to have
sent him letter requesting his resigna,
ton. Mr.. Williams replied thai he in
tended 10 resign, even if the resignation
Rad not been requested, because he had
received more fattering offers from an
other church. What church. he did MT
say; but some of the Tabernacle worship
pers are disposed to believe that he may
not be without hope of attaching himself
to Grace Episcopal Church.
be crowded out the Tabernacle leadership,
Prof. #illiams sent note to tue Music
| Committee of the'Park Reformed Church,
rendering his services to them. Mr.. Will
/ liams had once led the choir of the Park
Church, and it was through his connec-
ton there that be had succeeded in
writing himself, through the local press,
into prominence in local musical circles.
But he left them without either notice or
explanation, when he found an opening
in the Tabernacle, and the feeling in the
Park Church circles has not since been
| kindly to him. So it happens that when
his letter was read to the Park Church
Music Committee, it. was ordered to be
filed away without reply.
Prof. Williams may have been eacour
/ aged to the belief that he could recover his
position 10 the Park Church by the knowl-
/ edge that there was dissatisfaction there,
too, with the choir leader Prof. Black has
ofisiated in that capacity, but he has sue
ceeded in arousing an unfriendly feeling
among many of the worshippers. The
! committees in the church, except the Mu-
sic Committee, are said to favor Mr.. Blacks
retention; but the Music Committee want
more equal distribution of the choir
fayors than AFR. Black seems willing to
consent to- The committee hare already
| put themselves in communication with a
| professor OF music, and expect definite
reply from him tomorrow night. He is
said to be especially valuable ia the train
ing of male voices; and if he accepts the
committees offer, there will be radical
change in the choir by the introduction of
more male voices. If Mr.. Black remains,
it will be only in minor position, and it is
not believed he will consent to remain I'M
der such circumstances. Nine. De Ruy-
ther, who is now in her sixth year of ser
vice at the church, and Miss Redding, the
sweet-voiced soprano of the choir, will con-
tinue to be connected with the church
music, though some changes, not noted in
this article. may follow the resignation of
Prof. Black.